The present invention generally relates to rotary recording medium reproducing apparatuses capable of placing and leaving a rotary information recording medium in a state possible for reproduction within the reproducing apparatus when a jacket having a lid for accommodating the recording medium therein is inserted into and then pulled out from within the reproducing apparatus, and also capable of incasing the recording medium within the jacket so that the recording medium can be obtained outside the reproducing apparatus together with the jacket, when the empty jacket is inserted into and then pulled out from within the reproducing apparatus. The present invention relates more particularly to a rotary recording medium reproducing apparatus having a jacket opening enlarging device for enlarging an opening of the jacket, when the jacket is inserted into the reproducing apparatus.
Conventionally, in an apparatus for reproducing a rotary recording medium (referring to video disc, PCM audio disc, and the like, and hereinafter simply referred to as a disc), there are types of apparatuses in which a disc is reproduced when the disc is loaded upon clamping and placing of the disc within the reproducing apparatus, by inserting into and then pulling out a disc jacket (disc case) which has a lid and accommodates a disc therein, from within the reproducing apparatus. As a conventional apparatus of this type, in a U.S. patent application Ser. No. 231,868 filed Feb. 5, 1981, entitled "DISC-SHAPED RECORDING MEDIUM REPRODUCING APPARATUS" in which the assignee is the same as that of the present application, a reproducing apparatus was proposed which cooperates with a disc case comprising a jacket which has a space for accommodating a disc and an opening for allowing the disc to go in and out of the jacket, and a lid member inserted through the opening of the jacket for closing the opening of the jacket, where the reproducing apparatus comprises an inserting opening through which the case is inserted, a turntable for rotating the disc, holding means for holding at least one of the disc and the lid member provided at an innermost part on the opposite side from the inserting opening with respect to the turntable, jacket opening enlarging device provided in the vicinity of the inserting oepning, capable of moving over the turntable between the position in the vicinity of said inserting opening and the innermost part of said reproducing apparatus, for enlarging the opening of the jacket by entering inside said cutouts of said lid member, upon insertion of the jacket into the reproducing apparatus through the inserting opening, lowering and raising means for lowering the disc to a position where the disc is placed on the turntable from a holding position where the disc is held by the holding means upon starting of the reproduction and raising the disc to the holding position from the turntable upon finishing or discontinuing of the reproduction, a reproducing transducer for reproducing the disc placed on the turntable, and moving means for moving the reproducing transducer from a waiting position to a reproducing position with respect to the disc.
In this reproducing apparatus, the jacket opening enlarging device comprises the upper and lower arms extending toward the disc case inserting opening so as to converge as they approach the disc inserting opening, which are adapted to rotate, when the jacket is inserted into the reproducing apparatus, so as to separate from each other and enlarge the opening of the jacket. The above arms are provided on an upper and lower beams extending in the transverse direction of the reproducing apparatus. These beams do not serve as a door for normally closing the disc inserting opening, which means that a door for the inserting opening is required, thus making the construction of the reproducing apparatus complex by that much. Further, since the arms extend so as to allow the tip ends thereof to enter into the windows in jacket halves of the jacket inserted through the inserting opening, the free ends of the arms are inevitably located in the vicinity of the inserting opening. Accordingly, in such a case of wiping off the dust inside the inserting opening, the operator may be scratched on the finger by the tip ends of the arms. Therefore, the reproducing apparatus has been accompanied by problems in that some danger is encountered in the maintenance operation.